Photography Tips, Art, and Music
Music
Drum Tips – Dealing with Bass Drum “Creep”
Sep 2nd
Bass drum creep does NOT refer to the scary guy with the bass drum, it’s the term used to describe the frustrating situation when your kick drum starts sliding further and further away from you with each stroke of your bass drum pedal.
Setting up your kit on a good thick rug or a carpet that the spikes at the end of your bass drum legs can sink their teeth into will generally help keep bass drum creep at bay. (If your bass drum legs don’t have spikes, replace them with ones that do. Any decent drum shop will carry replacement bass drum legs at a reasonable price.)
Make sure your carpet is large enough to fit your whole kit, including your throne. The weight of your body on the throne will help keep the bass drum from sliding away with the whole carpet.
Adjust the bass drum legs so that the front of the drum is an inch or two off the ground and the drum is resting at a slight angle. This shifts more of the drums weight onto the legs themselves and helps the spikes dig in more effectively, which should put an end to most bass drum creep problems.
Sometimes, especially for those of us kicking the drum pretty hard in loud situations, setting up on a carpet is just not enough!
Here is an additional little trick that will END bass drum creep problems.
Take a three foot long 2”x4” piece of wood. I have some nice fabric glued around it to make it look pretty, provide some protection to the drums, and prevent splinters. Now mark your carpet where you want the front of your bass drum to sit. Drill three quarter inch diameter holes through the wood – one hole in the middle and one near each end.
Using some nice, big, 2 inch washers and 1/4 inch thick bolts – actually bolt the wood to your carpet at the front edge of your bass drum. Make sure to put the flattest part of the bolt on the under side of the carpet so that your carpet still lays pretty flat. I also like to put a layer or two of gaffer’s tape over the end of the bolt so that it does not scratch up any nice wooden floors that happen to be underneath the carpet.
Now when you set up just slide the front of the bass drum right up against the piece of wood you have bolted to the carpet, and it will not slide any further!
It works best if you get the wood wide enough that the legs themselves actually bump up against the wood block although it will work fine with the rim of the drum against the wood block – just be sure to cover the wood with foam or thick fabric to prevent the wood from damaging the rim and lugs of your drum!
Let me know how well it works for you.
4 Tips To Improve The Life Of Your Ipod
Aug 19th
While everyone knows about the iPod and what it can do, not too many people are aware about the batteries that are located inside. Most people may assume that the batteries will simply last forever, because they are permanently attached to the inside of the iPod. Now, this assumption is incorrect on two levels. On one level, the lithium ion iPod battery that’s inside your iPod can be removed and replaced with an iPod battery replacement kit. Secondly, even though the battery never really leaves the inside of the device; that does not mean that the battery will last forever.
Now, because we now are aware of the fact that the battery won’t last forever, we need to make ourselves aware of some of the tips and tricks that can be applied in order to extend and improve the life of the new iPod battery.
TIP 1: Don’t overcharge the battery
WHY: Overcharging the battery can damage the lithium ion iPod battery itself.
EXPLANATION: With nowhere to store or displace the energy, the battery will become damaged as it attempts to keep charging even when it’s full.
TIP 2: Keep your iPod at room temperature only
WHY: Temperature plays a vital role in the function of the iPod battery
EXPLANATION: Chemical reactions take place inside the lithium ion iPod battery, and it’s those reactions that make the battery properly function. If the temperature it too cold, then the reactions slow down. And those reactions will also speed up if the temperature is too hot.
TIP 3: Only charge the iPod battery when it needs it
WHY: Charging the battery actually weakens it at the same time
EXPLANATION: Each time you recharge the lithium ion iPod mini battery, the overall charge capacity of the battery dwindles ever so slightly. By only charging the battery when needed, you are ensuring that the battery only loses its charge capacity when it has to.
TIP 4: Use your iPod on a consistent basis
WHY: Keeping it inactive dulls the battery
EXPLANATION: If you never use your iPod, the device and the battery itself can simply wear out and die. Using them on a regular basis can keep them both fresh and operational.
To Learn Guitar, You Must Love To Practice
Aug 19th
There are few people in the world that can pick up a skill immediately and become a master without taking the time to practice. We generally consider these people to be geniuses or prodigies. For the rest of us, mastering a new skill takes a lot of time and a lot of effort. It also takes a lot of dedication because sometimes the time lag between starting and becoming proficient can seem entirely too long.
When it co More >
Tips on Scream Singing Techniques
Aug 18th
There are singers who possess the talent to write songs, do great on live shows or through auditions, can sing in harmony with a band, and can create great singing without general music. But Scream singing sometimes looks like a noise to many people. The process of scream singing is a complicated one as it requires screaming in a proper manner, especially if you are dealing with a death metal singing.
It is important More >